


Happy New Year.

by momopichu



Series: One shot, One world [10]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Christmas, Comfort, Fluff, M/M, New Year, PTSD, Piano, Warning - Panic Attacks, idek how 2 tag, post its
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-07
Updated: 2017-01-07
Packaged: 2018-09-15 12:38:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,581
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9235580
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/momopichu/pseuds/momopichu
Summary: Gabriel Reyes has finally returned to the city after years of service in the US Marines. Unfortunately for him, life in the military has left him with scars he can't see. His only remedy? A mysterious neighbour who loves playing piano songs from decades ago.





	1. The Pianist.

**Author's Note:**

> WARNING: Descriptions of panic attacks. They are based on my own experience with attacks but I want to give you guys a heads-up just in case.
> 
> Full list of songs mentioned (with links) found in end-notes!

Gabriel couldn’t tell which pains were real anymore and which were just ghosts of the battlefield. After having served most of his life as a marine, he deserved a well earned rest. But despite the relative peace the world was at, rest still eluded him - even on the calmest and most quiet of days.

Which found him here, splayed out on the couch in his one room apartment in New York. There shouldn’t have been anything to disturb him today, the rumbling dump truck only came through on Mondays, his neighbours had left town for the weekends, the quiet narrow street lined with tall maple trees were empty but for the gentle chirping of birds. And yet… the pain in his leg had come back in full force, he had doubled over, barely making it to the couch before abandoning his plans for the day. From there it had been a downward spiral, Gabriel had never been one to forego plans but as he lay there, body tingling with the ghostly jab of injuries that should long have been forgotten, he couldn’t find it in himself to get up, and that only hurt his already damaged self-esteem even more.

_I used to be able to do this._

_Just get up._

_I shouldn’t be lying here… I have things to do._

Mentally berating himself wasn’t helping, he knew that, and yet the thoughts came anyway. It hurt. Again he told himself he should seek help, that’s what people did right? When everything hurt, when your own mind insisted on betraying you? But he was _Major Gabriel Reyes_ , what kind of man was he if he needed to seek help? _No_ , he had to work this out for himself… somehow.

He just had to get up.

And still he couldn’t move. The pain in his leg was creeping along his nerves like spidery steps under his skin. Wisping up along his spine and spreading till his body felt as if he were lying on a bed of cold needles. The shifting lights on his ceiling, caused by swaying maple leaves threaded with golden sunshine was suddenly a pain to look at. Too bright, too active, stirring restlessly, like searchlights. The shadows were darkening, sweat trickled down the back of his neck as he balled his hands into fists into something cold and itchy. Did the air used to smell like that? An acrid stench that seemed to flood his surroundings, it was getting harder to breathe, but he had to, in and out like a normal person, everything would be fine as long as he kept the motion. He could hear his heart too, thumping painfully against his ribcage with each beat - which is a good thing, a beating heart meant he was still alive. But was it always this loud? The rhythm was thundering, he could feel it under the knuckles of his sweat soaked hands, _shit_ , what was happening?

Gabriel could just about hear himself breathing, each gasp of air grating against his suddenly hypersensitive ear, there was some loud screeching too, a high-pitched drone that refused to let up, going on and on and on and…

Was that…

_A piano?_

Slow and yet hard, each note pressed and weaved through his lungs, around his body. It felt like drifting, along a sea breeze somewhere far away where the sun bathed with its warmth. The thrumming rhythm were waves crashing against sandy beaches, seagulls clacking overhead as they danced above sunhats and children laughing. Gabriel let out the breath he had been holding, the sound of his hammering heart fading into the background, still there, but not as loud as it once was. His fists removed themselves from where they had fixed themselves into the couch and it’s scratchy surface, he eyed them, flexing his fingers and feeling the flow of blood and warmth streaming through them once more.

He blinked dark brown eyes as he sat up slowly, ears straining to hear the tune that hid behind thin walls.

The tune cascaded up and down, dancing in the air like women spinning with bright, windblown chiffon sundresses. Before he knew it, Gabriel was reaching for his phone where it had been upon the coffee table. With deft fingers, he flicked through the brightly colored apps as the piano keys pranced through the air with dramatic staccato beats. After what felt like forever, his fingers found the app that he needed, popping open to reveal a tune-recognition program. With a click, the app set to work, reading the wordless song with rapt attention. Gabriel did not remain idle, the tune having set off a spark within him. Shuffling off the couch and limping towards his room, there on his bedside table did he find what he need - a pen and a stack of yellow post-it notes.

It was a strange thing, the energy that coursed through his veins. It was as if he had the power of the crashing tides beating under his skin, not in a painful way, but rather - filling him with something that he had sorely missed after he had returned from the battlefield. A sense of nostalgia and a yearning that seemed to fill a hole in his chest where bullets had once carved deep. Returning to the living room coffee table, he found his phone awaiting his attention, the song’s name revealed in a thin graceful white against the ebony backdrop of the app.

_[ The Merry-Go-Round of Life - Howl’s Moving Castle (2004) - Joe Hisaishi ]_

Gabriel couldn’t help the small chuckle that escaped his scarred lips, his neighbour was really something, playing a song like that so late in the 21st century. With a smile plastered on his dark face, he began scribbling on the yellow post-it note.

* * *

The piano had been silent for awhile and Gabriel couldn’t help shuffling uncomfortably from his place on the couch. Maybe he had gone too far requesting a song like that. He didn’t even know who his neighbour was other than a mysterious pianist that liked to play songs from decades ago. He sighed, he hoped he hadn’t angered or disturbed his neighbour in any way, he didn’t know what he would do if his neighbour stopped playing altogether. This was the first time in… _ages_ \- he supposed - that he had heard music played like that and he was slightly surprised to realise he wanted to hear more. Plus it had knocked him from a potentially painful and tiring panic attack, if he could _just_ \--

The notes were soft, hesitant to start. But they slowly picked up the song, drifting up and down the keys with ease. Gently at first but then with more confidence, feeling threaded their way into the major tune. Gabriel couldn’t help but picture the slender fingers, hopping along the piano’s black and white surface with grace as the notes turned from just shy of stammering to a more fluid dance. In his mind’s eye he could see bright cobblestone streets, lined on either side by petite shops, some offering parisian pastries while others offered clothing threaded with delicate lace. In his imagination, ivy coated the beautiful pastel colored houses, their dangling vines bobbed in a gentle breeze as doves waltzed in a bright blue sky.

_[ A Town With An Ocean View - Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989) - Joe Hisaishi ]_

The melody bounced along, dropping into the minor key as Gabriel imagined clouds drifting lazily over the cobblestone town in his mind, momentarily shadowing the streets. Daintily, the piano picked up once more, resuming a much happier step and just like that, he could see the sun again, feel a soothing wind blowing across his previously sweat soaked skin. He didn’t realise he had been dozing, his mind finally free to roam more pleasant streets until the chirping of sparrows just outside his window brought him back to his now silent apartment.

A smile tugging at the corners of his lips, Gabriel applauded his white ceiling, hoping that his musical neighbour would be able to hear the sound. He didn’t know who he was, just that he wanted to convey his appreciation, his thanks - even if he couldn’t do it face to face, not right now.

Before he knew it, the piano picked up once more, a deeper song from the two that came before. Unspoken words following a tune that reverberated around his small apartment, filling the room with arpeggios and scales that seemed to flow like water from the mouth of an ornate fountain. A tune that had his feet tapping against each other as he caught the beat. Once more, Gabriel reached for his phone, the tune-recognition app still open and flickering on the screen. With a single tap of his calloused finger, the app bobbed its brightly colored buttons as it listened intently.

_[ Arigatō… - Songbird (1999) - KOKIA ]_

Gabriel couldn’t help hiding his smile behind a hand even if there was no one around to notice his happiness.

_“Thank you.”_


	2. Merry Crisis

His life took on a pattern after that, wake up and complete morning chores to the best of his abilities, maybe even a shopping trip for groceries and other necessities - if he was feeling well enough for it. After that was done, a quick lunch and back to the couch as the piano started up the first tune of the day. Once the first song had been played, Gabriel would leave a post-it note with his request under his neighbour’s door. His neighbour, the pianist, would play it - sometimes after a long silence, which Gabriel guessed was his way of looking up the score.

The days passed and one day Gabriel found himself trying to stifle hoots of mirth as his mysterious neighbour decided to play the theme of _Super Mario Bros_ as the first song of the day. The keys bobbing through the bubbly song complete with what Gabriel suspected was his neighbour’s jovial input that nearly had him on the floor clutching his aching stomach. Wiping tears of joy away from his eyes, Gabriel grabbed the stack of yellow post-it notes and his pen and made his way out of his apartment and to his neighbour’s door. To his surprise, there was a pink post-it note stuck to the wooden door.

‘ _Hey. You got any challenging songs?_

__\- J. :)’_ _

Gabriel couldn’t help smirking.

_‘You took 10 minutes looking up the last song I gave you._

_You sure you can handle it? :p_

_Btw, try this: Fireflies - Owlcity (2009)_

__\- G.’_ _

Returning to his apartment, he plopped down on his couch, the cushions sinking under the weight. There was a moment of silence from upstairs before the song started, perky as his neighbour caught the notes like the way birds caught an updraft in their wings. A flutter between low and high notes as the melody imitated the flickering lights of the song’s namesake. Before long, Gabriel found himself singing along with the tune.

“ ♪… I'd like to make myself believe that planet earth turns slowly…”

There was something about the way his neighbour played that seemed to tug at something within him.

“♪…It's hard to say that I'd rather stay awake when I'm asleep … ♪”

Placing feather light touches in places where he never knew even existed.

“♪... 'Cause everything is never as it seems… ♪”

Sending shivers running along his spine.

“... When I fall asleep… ♪”

A voice and a song, fading to nothingness. Gabriel had to blink twice, shaking his head once as he realised he had been fiddling with the post-it notes in his hand, the corners of the yellow pages frayed where he had been creasing them between his fingers. _When was the last time he had sang_?

The air was silent as he pondered the thought, surprise clouding his mind when he realised he could not remember just when he had last sang, his time in the army having taken up most of his waking hours - most of his _life_ . He _thought_ he sang in the military, maybe when he first joined. When recruits, after a long day’s of training needed something brighter than the dreary bulb hanging from a wire thread. But that had been a long time ago…

Without warning, a deep thundering chord roared through the room as the piano picked up once more in a different, more powerful song. Long cascading notes that flicked between dainty and dramatic. Gabriel sat up on the couch.

 _No way_.

The keys turned sharp, the very sound of thunder of striking against a rocky cove, beating waves thrashing out in the sea, the image of a 17th century ship with black sails, traversing against a storm as its crew brandished swords and brandy alike. In his mind, Gabriel saw hardy sailormen in dirty rags flaunting treasures gained from sunken ships and a suave _Captain_ who tipped his black hat, flashing yellowed teeth before swinging off a rope of the infamous _Black Pearl_. Rain pouring down by the bucketloads, orders shouted over raging thunder, the song - a movement - that sent goosebumps rising along Gabriel’s arm, as his mysterious neighbour swiped his hands across the keys twice in a downward cascade, tension building like the calm before a storm, before ending the song with a bang - the very sound of someone having sat hard against the piano keys.

Gabriel spluttered, he swore he heard that right.

 _His neighbour had just ended the song by sitting on his piano_.

Barely a second had passed after the song’s end and Gabriel was pelting up to his neighbour’s door, post-it and pen in hand. A pink post-it awaited him on the wooden door.

_‘ S’that complicated enough?_

_And I took that long because (honestly) I can’t believe you asked me to play ‘Let it go’_

_Like… really?_

__\- J._ _

_P.S. You have a really nice voice.’_

Gabriel could feel heat rising on his cheeks as he snatched the pink post-it from it’s place on the door. Scrawling his answer on his own yellow post-it, he slipped it under the door with a knock to alert his neighbour before retreating back to his apartment.

_‘Maybe YOU ought to let it go._

_And yes that was complicated enough._

_Please tell me you didn’t break your piano._

_Oh and how about this? Flower Dance - DJ Okawari (2010)_

__\- G. ’_ _

 

* * *

 

After that, it became a game. Gabriel would spend his evenings and part of his mornings listening to songs and trying to give his neighbour the hardest, most complicated or least well-known tunes to play. His neighbour, would play them to the best of his abilities, not once backing away from the challenge before playing a song of his own for Gabriel to guess.

As the year slowly slid towards its end, Gabriel cleared out the back wall of his apartment and hung up the post-it notes he had collected. The wall, once a spotless white, was now tiled with pink post-its each covered with the mysterious _J_ ’s messy scrawl.

\---

_‘Omg I can’t believe you know of ‘To Zanarkland’!_

_Did you ever play the games?_

_I  really wanted to play FFXV but they never released it for PC._

_Feels bad man.’_

_\---_

_‘That was a hard one, even with the score._

_How did you even find ‘Secret’?_

_Wiki says it’s from a Taiwanese film.’_

_\---_

_‘Nice try G._

_Someone got me to play ‘Death Waltz’ in high school on a dare._

_That guy still owes me.’_

_\---_

_‘Man if I had a partner I could play the duet instead._

_‘Corpse Bride’ was such a good movie.’_

_\---_

_‘Had to improvise that one, I couldn’t find a piano score for ‘The Coup’._

_What’s Dishonored 2 like?_

_The Outsider looks downright spooky.’_

_\---_

_‘What do you mean you never played the Dragon Age series??_

_Btw that was ‘Empress of Fire’, so that’s another point to me._

_Git gud G.’_

_\---_

_‘No. I’ll play ‘nyan cat’ when I’m dead.’_

_\---_

_‘I’ll only play ‘How far I’ll go’ if you sing along._

_Pleaaaaase?’_

_\---_

_Rude._

_\---_

Gabriel smirked as he looked over the many post-its, calloused hands ghosting over the slightly crumpled pieces of paper. It had already been three months since their first exchange, dimly he couldn’t help but feel a sense of unease stirring deep within his gut. Three months and he didn’t even know his neighbour’s name… or face. It was like they lived in parallel universes, only able to speak to each other through post-its stuck on a wooden door.

His smile faded, dropping away. What was he thinking…

What did _J_ think of him? Never once had he asked, he should’ve asked early on, maybe even for his name, or at least given his own, but surely it was too late now. Somewhere along the line he told himself it was alright, it was wasn’t it? _J_ still answered his post-its, still entertained him. But what if one day he didn’t? What if one day he felt that Gabriel was just asking too much of him and stopped playing?

His fingers curled, tightening into fists.

There was an ache in his chest, barely perceivable at first, then cold, piercing right where his heart was, making every beat thrash painfully against his chest. His breath started coming in hoarse gasps, scathing along the back of his throat as the icy air clawed their way down into his lungs. Not enough. There wasn’t enough air, something was around his neck, he could feel it, like the tightening of a noose that he could not remove. Gabriel gasped, eyes flicking in and out of focus as stars fizzled around the edges of his view. His legs gave out beneath him and he dropped to the floor, hot and cold, sweat slicked skin making him feel everything, too much, he felt sick. He had to breathe, he just had to breathe, it’ll go away, it’ll go away. He was fine, he was going to be okay.

Punching his balled fists into his eyes, he willed the stars, the ache, the pain to leave him alone. _Please_.

A loud crinkle snapped in his ears and Gabriel jerked his hands away from his eyes.

Through the stars, the edging darkness, he could just make out a pink post-it nestled in the palm of his hand…

_‘That song was ‘First Love’ by Utada Hikaru._

_Seemed right to play it on Christmas._

_Hope you’re having a good one G, I’ll be here if you need anything._

__\- J.’_ _

Gabriel blinked.

Trembling fingers smoothed out the crumpled post-it note. He remembered that day clearly; McCree and Ana had persuaded him to attend a Christmas party with the gang. The ‘gang’ being his team - or what was left of it - that had returned from serving in the military. It was going to be a small, quiet gathering, nothing too loud or intense - none of them could handle it after what happened on the battlefields. Gabriel had been preparing himself, choosing his attire with all the meticulous care of a son of a seamstress. As he slowly changed, ticking off items on a checklist of everything he needed; from presents and food items to the pills he had to take before he left, the piano upstairs had played on in the background. A soft song that wafted in through the gaps in the window with the winter breeze. Low, notes trembling, barely rising and threatening to fade.

_♪…You will always be inside my heart …_

_… Itsumo anata dake no basho ga aru kara …_

_… I hope that I have a place in your heart too … ♪_

With barely enough time on the clock, Gabriel had left without leaving a post-it note for _J_. And as he left, the tune like a delicate snowflake in a blizzard wind, was whisked away, left forgotten at the back of his mind…

_♪… You are always gonna be the one… Now and Forever… ♪_

Gabriel slumped against the wall, flattening out the post-it in his hand. By the time he had returned home on that night, it had been well past midnight. The streetlamps out on the streets had casted their golden glow upon piled up snow, their smooth white surfaces glittering in the gentle light. The occasional snowflake ghosted down from maple trees long stripped bare with the coming of winter. And as he stood outside the main door of the apartments, fumbling with his keys, a melody whispered sadly from a window overhead, mournful, yet powerful in the silent night.

And once more, he could see the sea, almost smell the salty breezes as waves lapped against one another under a grey but silent sky.

_♪… These shallow waters, never met what I needed…_

_… I’m letting go… A deeper dive… ♪_

Wearily, he had climbed the stairs up to his neighbour’s door to find the lonely pink post-it stuck upon the wooden door, left there from hours earlier.

_♪… Under the bright, but faded lights …_

_… You set my heart on fire…_

_… Where are you now? … ♪_

He had gone back and left a note for _J_ then, wishing him a Merry Christmas, too tired to do anything else. The day after, things had returned to normal with the pianist happily taking up his challenges once more. No words were exchanged about what happened the day before.

Gabriel sighed.

With the post-it still clutched to his chest, he stood to face the back wall of his apartment. A mosaic of pink post-its covered in sprawling black ink, each written by a messy hand met his eyes. There were smudges on some, tears on others. Taking a deep breath, Gabriel deposited the pink note into his pocket before reaching for his own stack of yellow post-its and his pen.

_‘Hey J, you doing anything for new years eve?_

__\- G.’_ _


	3. Happy New Year.

The day had gone as well as he had hoped, so far. After doing his morning chores and having a late lunch, Gabriel had settled himself on his couch, his phone, post-it notes and pen by his side. There was nothing to disturb him, not today. His street had been emptied out, thousands flocking downtown in preparation for tonight's New Year's celebration. That was, emptied out except for him and the apartment above, it was just him - him and  _ J _ today. Straining his ears, Gabriel could just make out slippered footsteps padding across the wooden floor. With a creak and a groan, he imagined a stool being pulled out from under a piano, a muffled  _ gok _ followed, the sound of a heavy covering lifted off black and white wooden pieces.

There was a pregnant silence as slender fingers settled on keys. Then, almost timidly, a tapering chord. Like a gentlewoman through a crowded street, the piano eased its way into the melody. The song was soft in its entirety, it reminded Gabriel of clouds drifting between skyscrapers, of busy streets turned mute - not in panic - but rather in peace. People drifted on their way as a kindly rain fell, pattering on umbrellas and tarps of news stands. Bikes threaded through the street carefully as cars weaved their way through growing puddles with soft splashes. Buses turned corners with a grace not usually seen in their lengthy bodies. In his mind’s eye, the gentlewoman was old, silver hair braided and twisted into an elegant coil across a shoulder as she took shelter beneath a bright red umbrella. Smooth chocolate skin and wrinkled hands… she reminded him of his own mother.

Gabriel blinked open dark brown eyes, hands laced behind his head as he listened, swept along in the song. It had been a long time since he’s thought of home. He had kept in contact with the youngest of his sisters mostly through her insistence, but had hardly spoken to his parents ever since his return from service. Trust  _ J _ to leave him feeling things he had almost forgotten, huffing silently he picked up his post-it note and pen and made his way up to his neighbour’s door.

_ ‘One Summer’s Day - Spirited Away (2003), Joe Hisaishi _

_ You’re a real Studio Ghibli fan aren’t you?’ _

He hesitated, pen inches from the creased paper.

_ ‘Could you play ‘Innocent’ from Castle in the Sky?’ _

__ \- Gabriel.’ _ _

Would it be alright? This would be the first time he’s ever revealed his name to his neighbour.  _ God _ , he hoped it was alright, he shouldn’t think too much about it, it wasn’t _ that _ obvious. Or he should  _ try _ not to think too much about it - if he could. Swallowing, he roughly shoved the post-it under the wooden door with a hasty knock. 

Even behind the closed door, Gabriel could hear the shuffle as slippered footsteps made their way to the apartment door. There was a shifting of shadows against the floor as the note was picked up, and then a throaty chuckle. It was deep, rich and reminded him of cornfields swaying under a summer’s sun. The sound somehow having more effect on him than any tune played before, as Gabriel found himself rooted to the spot, straining his ears intently to hear more of the sound straight from his mysterious neighbour’s mouth. 

But the slippered feet were moving away, there was a creak and a groan, the puff of deflated air as pressure was replaced upon a piano stool.

And Gabriel found himself retreating as his requested song started. Tenderly, the song flitted through the gap beneath the door, sailing through the empty corridor of the apartments. He found himself perched in the shadow of the stairwell as he listened, enraptured as the tune swaddled him like a newborn and spirited him away. He pictured a dance, of ballerinas with delicate footsteps leaping across a deep emerald pond. Cornflower blue chiffon skirts billowed in the gentle breeze and twisted with pirouettes, curling with soft inclination of each dancers’ body. There was a floating skip that sent streaks and small waves spreading across the mirror-like surface, dimpling reflections of looming pink and white lotuses. A shiver travelled down his spine, sending goose bumps rising across his dark skin as he dipped his head towards the apartment down the hall.  So caught up in the soothing melody, warm like the street on which they lived, Gabriel barely blinked heavy lidded eyes open as he heard a wooden door creak open when the song ended.

A pale hand peeked out with a pink post-it note sandwiched between slender fingers. Gabriel felt the breath catch in his throat as he watched the fingers press the small piece of paper to the wooden door. With a final pat to ensure the note stuck, the pale hand retreated back inside.

The door fell close with a thump, try as he might, Gabriel realised he did not hear the click of a lock or the fading steps of slippered feet. Hesitantly, he approached the door, now with a pink post-it stuck to its surface.

_ ‘It sounds like you’re a bigger fan of the studio than I am, Gabriel. _

_ Castle in the sky came nearly 20 years before Spirited away.’ _

Gabriel couldn’t help swallowing the lump that had formed in his throat.

_ ‘ ~~Could you~~ _ _ Would you mind  _ ~~_ singing for me _ ~~ _ singing? _

_ It’s been awhile since I’ve heard  _ ~~_ your voice  _ ~~ _ you sing. _

_ No pressure. _

__ \- Jack.’ _ _

He blinked, drifting dark sun-kissed fingers over the black inked scrawl. The writing was barely legible between the messy strikes but Gabriel had had his fair share of experience reading terrible handwriting. A small smile tugged at the corner of his lips as he made out what  _ Jack _ had tried to hide under blocks of black. Picking up his own pen, he quickly wrote his answer before shoving the yellow note beneath the door with a knock.

_ ‘Of course, Jack. _

__ \- Gabriel.’ _ _

As soon as the paper slipped through the gap, Gabriel knew it had hit something. Unlike before where it would slide through like a leaf on smooth marble floors, the note had caught on the edge of a shadow on the other side of the door. He had a moment to wonder if Jack would notice before he heard a soft rustle of fabric and the crinkle of paper picked up in hesitant hands.

Gabriel swallowed.

Jack was right there. On the other side of the door. He hoped Jack couldn’t hear him, his breath sounded loud in the empty corridor. Was he hyperventilating? He hoped not. Maybe he shouldn’t have agreed to this…

“ _ Right… _ Okay…” 

Throaty, deep. Tentative and scared, Gabriel lifted up his head at the voice. The dark brown wood of the door greeted his eyes, but he might as well have been looking right through it - to the nervous pianist on the other side. He could picture the pale hands, trembling as it held the yellow post-it note like fragile glass. And it soothed Gabriel, to know the man on the other side was just as scared as he was. As uncertain as he was, to take the first step, the leap of faith into the unknown. And he could picture it now, as Jack took deep breaths to steady himself, before making his way back to the instrument that dominated the centre of his apartment.

Slender fingers settled themselves on piano keys, the tension was apparent, but as the first chord struck the strings, there was no hesitation. Just a leap.

Should he have asked for the song title? In hindsight, Gabriel should have. After all, it would have at least prepared him for the nostalgia that washed over him like a wave. It was like walking back in time, suddenly back in the living room of his childhood home as his father strummed on the guitar whilst his mother directed his sisters in the words of the song.

“ _ Your mouth is a revolver, firing bullets in the sky…” _

The image of his mother clear in his mind as she coaxed the words from him.

“ _ Your love is like a soldier, loyal till you die...” _

His sisters were by his side, grasping his hands as they began to sway him with the strumming of the guitar.

“ _ And I’ve been looking at the stars for a long, long time… _ ”

His hands moved of their own accord, thumping the rhythm out against the walls of the empty corridor

“ _ I’ve been putting out fires, all my life…” _

His feet soon followed, tapping away as the words tumbled from his lips.

“ _ Everybody wants a flame, but they don’t want to get burnt…” _

Deep, powerful. The guitar in his mind gave way to the piano hidden by a flimsy wooden panel.

“ _ … And today is our turn. _ ”

-

Jack couldn’t help the heat that flooded his cheeks as Gabriel’s voice wafted in through what little gap there was beneath his door. Despite that, he kept his hands steady, soft. There was the occasional tremble, but he could hardly help it when his neighbour’s voice was husky with emotion, flowing with the melody  _ he _ weaved from black and white keys. He began tapping his feet, blond head swaying in time. He couldn’t help it.

-

“… _ Days like this lead to, _

_ Nights like this lead to…” _

Two pairs of eyes pursed closed.

“… _ Love like ours, _

_ You light the spark in our bonfire hearts… _ ”

Two individual rhythms beating as one.

“ _ …People like us, we don’t need that much… _ ”

Smiles tugged at scarred lips.

“ _ …Just some - _ ”

Deep breath.

“ _ -one that starts… _

_ Starts the spark in our bonfire hearts. _ ”

* * *

 

_ ‘You never watched ‘Tale of the Princess Kaguya’? _

_ On second thoughts… don’t. _

__ \- Jack.’ _ _

_ ‘Why? _

__ \- Gabriel.’ _ _

He was sat with his back braced against Jack’s apartment door. There was a stack of pink post-it notes by his side, each one covered with Jack’s messy handwriting. Jack was much the same, pressed up against the closed door, a pile of yellow post-it's nestled in his own lap. Scribbling his answer with a black pen, he firmly pushed the scrap of paper under the door.

_ ‘I was bawling my eyes out. _

_ Save yourself from the agony, don’t watch it.’ _

__ \- Jack.’ _ _

Gabriel tried his best to stifle his laughter, it came out as a badly muffled snort. There was a slight knock on the door as if Jack had tried unsuccessfully to hit him through the wooden panel.

_ ‘Now I’m really curious. _

_ And you were really crying?’ _

__ \- Gabriel.’ _ _

_ ‘What’s wrong with that? _

_ Have YOU ever cried during a movie? _

_ -  _ __ Jack.’ _ _

_ ‘Not really a crier. _

_ Though, I did get kinda teary eyed in ‘Moana’. _

__ \- Gabriel.’ _ _

_ ‘Y’know… _

_ You never did sing ‘How far I’ll go’ for me. _

__ \- Jack.’ _ _

Gabriel rolled his eyes.

_ ‘I just spent the whole afternoon singing for you pendejo, _

_ Gimme a break. _

__ \- Gabriel.’ _ _

_ ‘What’s pendejo mean? _

_ And I played for you for three months! (I think?) _

__ \- Jack.’ _ _

_ ‘You don’t want to know. _

_ And people like listening to you play more than they like to hear me sing. _

__ \- Gabriel.’ _ _

Jack chewed on the back of his pen, deep in thought.

_ ‘Did you actually go around asking about what people thought? _

__ \- Jack.’ _ _

_ ‘What?? NO! Why would I do that?? _

__ \- Gabriel.’ _ _

_ ‘That means you don’t KNOW if they don’t like your singing. _

_ (For all we know, they could hate my playing :p) _

_ You really ought to sing more, you have one of the best voices I’ve heard. _

_ Ever. _

__ \- Jack.’ _ _

Gabriel tried to cover up the heat in his cheeks with a hand - even if there was no one around to see. Getting himself under control, he tapped his pen against the yellow post-it.

_ ‘It’s not fair that you get to hear my voice and I don’t get to hear yours. _

__ \- Gabriel.’ _ _

_ ‘My voice is really nothing special. _

__ \- Jack.’ _ _

_ ‘Says… who? _

__ \- Gabriel.’ _ _

Jack buried his face in his hands as if he’d been caught red handed.

_ ‘Fine, what do you want me to say? _

__ \- Jack.’ _ _

Gabriel quirked an eyebrow. He hadn’t expected Jack to agree so easily, now what should he get him to say…? He tapped his pen on his drawn up knees, deep brown eyes blinking as he thought. He didn’t want it to be something awkward to say, it would just be weird - and gross - and nothing personal either, he didn’t want to scare Jack away. But surely getting him to say his own name was too boring? Bringing his pen up to his scarred lips, he flicked the pen to tap on the side of his chin, still deep in thought.

Abruptly his ears picked up noises from outside the apartment, loud and messy - like too many people struggling to be heard at the same time. Strangely enough, the noises seem to be coming from far away, muffled by too many walls in between. He glanced out the window down the empty hall. Surprise gripped him as he realised it was pitch black outside. Wait hold on, was it…

_ 10. _

_ 9. _

Gabriel rummaged for his phone under the stack of pink post it notes.

_ 8. _

Cold, hard, plastic met his fingers as he jerked his phone out.

_ 7. _

_ 6. _

The screen flickered, bright in the suddenly dim corridor [ 11.59 pm ].

_ 5. _

Crap, he was supposed to be in his apartment  _ hours _ ago.

_ 4. _

He wasn’t ready for this.

_ 3. _

His heartbeat thundered against his chest.

_ 2. _

The first telltale beats of pain on the edges of his high-strung nerves.

_ 1 _ .

Gabriel slapped his hands over his ears.

The first firework rattled against the inside of his skull, the boom-crack sound was blinding, followed with sharp prickles of sensation on his skin. His nose was clogged, something that smelt like wet earth coupled with the harsh stench of ammunition and pure burning fire. There was something else, he didn’t want to remember, but it was there, always there. He’d been around it too much not to know what it was: burning flesh. He gagged, eyes screwed shut.

But there was no reprieve in darkness.

There was  _ screaming _ , everywhere, accompanied with each snap of releasing mortar shell, each thunderous clap as one hit the ground. He couldn’t. It was hard to breath, his heart was taking up too much space in his chest, hammering over and over against his ribcage until he was sure they were sore. He had to run, find someplace safe. He tried to open his eyes but it was dark, sparking with fizzy stars that looked like static on a TV screen. There was a tingling - or  _ lack of _ \- in his fingers and toes, his leg was hurting.  _ This can’t be happening, please God, no, no, no _ ...

Dimly, through the panic and terror, he felt something circle under his arms. He thrashed wildly, kicking out as another mortar shell dropped close by. His body curled to better protect himself but to no avail, pain flared throughout his entire left side. He didn’t know if he screamed, he probably did, everything was a clouded mix of stars, pain, burning fires, needle-like prickles and then, numbness.

* * *

 

Gabriel drifted, there was not a part of him that did not ache but it felt dull, muted. As if someone had taken a bucket of water and doused the burning coals that had tried to consume his body from within. He wondered how much time had past, was he still in the medbay? If he was, it was lacking in antiseptic - he didn’t know any med bays that smelt of fragrant pine tinged with the softer scent of lavenders. And he  _ definitely _ didn’t know any med bays that had such beautiful music like this one did.

Curiosity nipping at a still sore body, Gabriel blinked his eyes open to a soft, well lit room. Instead of a hardback cot and sterile medbay, he was arranged on a cushy sofa and propped up by pillows in what looked to be a cozy living room. A thin blanket covered his body, protecting him from the cool breeze trickling in from a half-open window. Blinking his eyes rapidly to clear the fuzziness that still hinged on the edge of his vision, he was surprised to find a grand piano; imposing, ebony in colour, a gleam of light shining on it’s elegant body, dominating the center of the room. In it’s equally ebony chair, sat a man in his thirties with hair like spun gold. The man’s back was to Gabriel as his attention was taken up by the music he coaxed from black and white keys. Gabriel tried not to swallow too hard, tried not to make a sound as his eyes devoured the sight of the broad back, lines and ridges barely concealed by a white cotton jumper.

Fortunately for him, the blond’s eyes were pinned to pale slender fingers as he weaved his song. Lacing together arpeggios and chords, he threaded them through and around like a child would a string around a spinning top before releasing it into the air. A hauntingly familiar tune twined around Gabriel and his eyes closed of their own accord. In the ensuing darkness behind his eyelids, the melody painted for him a quiet street lit by iron-cast street lamps. Alternated between each street lamp were maple trees bare of leaves with snow still gathered about their gnarled roots. It took Gabriel a moment to realise that what he was seeing was his own street, with neatly lined flats on either side. There was no one about, leaving him to wander down the road alone. Strangely enough, he felt no fear, no impending sense of unease, no terror - like what he had felt minutes, perhaps hours ago. There was only the lamps, the empty trees, a street and a song spun from a piano. With grace, the pianist showed Gabriel the streets as  _ he _ saw it, filling the narrow lane with rays of gold and pearly glimmers that glanced off hanging dew and piled up snow. 

For a moment, Gabriel paused. Breath hitching in his throat at the magical sight. It was so beautiful, so peaceful, that a part of his mind resisted as the tune gently faded, a resonating note echoing against stones of the empty street before disappearing like a fog under the morning sun. Heaving a sigh, he reluctantly opened dark brown eyes in time to see pale slender hands leave the wooden keys of the piano and drop into the blond’s lap. They twisted there, fingers tangled together in obvious discomfort and uncertainty.

The ensuing silence was broken by Gabriel as he brought his palms together in applause. The pianist twisted in his chair to look at him, and -  _ Gods _ \- Gabriel had never seen eyes so clear and blue before. Unable to help himself, he gawked openly as  _ Jack _ rose from the piano’s stool to crouch by Gabriel and the sofa.

“Gabriel?” He asked “Are you alright?”

Gabriel should probably pick his jaw off the floor. Or at least stop staring - his ma always said it was rude to stare.

“Gabriel?” Jack tried again, blue eyes wide with concern.

He cleared his throat, adam’s apple bobbing. “There’s - uh, um. I don’t hear anything wrong with your voice.” Gabriel finally managed.

As soon as the words left his mouth he felt an intense heat rush to his cheeks, darkening his skin and burning the tips of his ears. He smacked a dark, calloused hand over his mouth -  _ I shouldn’t have said that, I - really - probably shouldn’t have said - oh God - he’s staring at me, he’s -- _

“I-I didn’t mean anything by t-that!” Gabriel stammered “I mean you have a nice voice! That is your voice is - I mean, I  _ like _ it -  _ yooooOOOooour _ voice!” Quickly tagging on the slurred r to the end to save himself. He needed to stop, or get his traitorous mouth to shut up at the very least. But how could he? When Jack was barely an arm's length away, kneeled by the edge of the sofa, the heat coming off him in waves, blue eyes deep and unblinking, the pale skin around them only accentuating their beauty.

_ Major Gabriel Reyes _ ,  _ US marines, aged 35, a competent and well respected soldier… was finally defeated by a knotted tongue in his neighbour’s house - all because he was embarrassing himself like a teenager on his first date. _

McCree will never let him live this down.

Neither would Ana.

Or the rest of the gang - now that he thought about it.

A throaty chuckle broke him from his train of thought. Preparing himself for the worst, Gabriel reluctantly lifted his head from where he had buried it in a pillow. The chuckle bloomed into full-body hoots of mirth. Jack had his eyes scrunched up, the crow’s feet at the corners of his eyes creased and lined with glimmering tears. Laugh lines framed his open mouth as he worked his way through a wheezing cackle, pink lips darkening as he struggled for air. And Gabriel could only stare, the pillow in his lap forgotten as his hands moved as if they had a mind of their own. A tentative finger reached out, caressing the end of a wayward gold strand. 

Cornflower blue eyes blinked open and Gabriel jerked his hand back as if he’d touched a hot stove. He might as well have, with the way heat still thrummed under his cheeks and along the shell of his ears. He outright jumped when a cool hand was laid on his own.

“You had me worried Gabriel,” Jack said. His voice was low, a little throaty,  and it had Gabriel leaning in his seat just to hear more.

“Y-yeah. Um… Sorry,” He mumbled, scratching the back of his neck “I didn’t mean to...well, scare you I suppose. I uh...I just…”

“It’s alright,” Jack murmured, rubbing slow circles into the back of his hand “You don’t have to apologise.” 

The blond’s smile was blinding and Gabriel couldn’t help but wonder whose bright idea was it to stuff the sun into those ivory cheeks. He was acutely aware that he was staring, most likely a dishevelled mess and imposing in his neighbour’s living room. Awkwardly, he rubbed a hand over his close cropped curls before trying to speak once more.

“Thanks… for taking care of me,” He began hesitantly. Internally he heaved a sigh of relief - at least his mouth was back to normal, mostly. “I um… Sorry, I just get…”

“Panic attacks?” Jack supplied, his pale hand never leaving Gabriel’s - a comforting, grounding weight. “Gabriel, you  _ don’t  _ have to apologise.”

“Um, right… Sor--” Catching sight of Jack’s meaningful stare, Gabriel snapped his mouth shut. If it was possible to melt from flushed cheeks, he was probably doing it. Fumbling for something to say he stuttered “T-that song you were playing…”

Jack grinned. “Did you like it?”

“I...Could I hear more?”

“Of course, Gabriel.” 

With a final pat to his hand, Jack rose and returned to the grand piano. With feline grace, he settled into the ebony stool, slender fingers coming to rest on well-worn black and white keys. It was like watching a weaver working at a spindle wheel, drawing music together from scales and chords. Carefully, Jack spun his song, wrapping it snugly around the room in a protective cocoon and Gabriel had never felt so  _ safe _ …

So at  _ home _ .

Silently, he forced himself to his feet and limped up behind Jack. Without breaking a single note, the blond eased himself along the chair, before nodding to the spot now vacated on the piano stool.

Smiling softly, he lowered himself into the empty spot. Arms brushing, Gabriel soon found his head resting on Jack’s shoulder, flexing muscles and the pulsing of rhythm beneath his ear. The blond didn’t mind, and Gabriel found himself trying to suppress a shiver as he felt a cool nose and soft lips brush against his curls.

“It’s wonderful.”

_ [ 素敵だね ] (2004) _

_ ………………. _

**Author's Note:**

> Full list of songs! NOTE, (almost) all of these are piano versions of the originals. They are what I imagined Jack to be playing at the time.
> 
> Chapt 1:  
> -[The Merry-Go-Round of Life, Joe Hisaishi](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31nOaXSeqSo)  
> -[A Town with an Ocean View, Joe Hisaishi](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Dbud7LoIKE)  
> -[Arigato, KOKIA](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-YvwgmfrfkI)
> 
> Chapt 2:  
> -[Super Mario Bros, Nintendo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFZki6TcY4w)  
> -[Fireflies, OwlCity](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSuuvyxRVrI)  
> -[Pirate's of the Caribbean, Jarod Radnich](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4JD-3-UAzM)  
> -[Let it go, Frozen](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBAQd2v-_J4&index=7&list=FLyXB6EhmAoyRuBfYOPywtcA)  
> -[Flower Dance, DJ Okawari](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AULG4MoYxQk)  
> -[To Zanarkland, Final Fantasy X](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-0G_FI61a8)  
> -[Secret, Jay Chou](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFWy27pBJAM)  
> -[Death Waltz](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iankyw47vqY)  
> -[Piano Duet, Corpse Bride](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaMcImrNnOQ&list=FLyXB6EhmAoyRuBfYOPywtcA&index=109)  
> -[The Coup, Dishonored 2](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7VB6WRdXzw)  
> -[Empress of Fire, Dragon Age: Inquisition](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHUbUMjhsyY)  
> -[How Far I'll Go, Moana](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezp3IPNl7iM)  
> -[First Love, Utada Hikaru](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qqeyT_F7vw)  
> -[Faded (Restrung), Alan Walker](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDmzGLrdjxQ&index=10&list=FLyXB6EhmAoyRuBfYOPywtcA)
> 
> Chapt 3:  
> -[One Summer's Day, Joe Hisaishi](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1ni1sVCgEk)  
> -[Innocent, Joe Hisaishi](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvnA62FOECg)  
> -[Bonfire Heart, John Smith](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dbQIpcasT0)  
> -[素敵だね, Suteki da ne/Isn't it Wonderful?, Final Fantasy X](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0R7NOVt_DJs)  
> I originally had more songs included, including 'Two less lonely people in the world'(Air Supply), 'Just A Dream'(Nelly), 'Closer'(Chainsmokers), 'Amigos Para Siempre'(Andrew Lloyd Weber) and more but it felt like I overdid it already. Imagining songs as words will be the death of me...


End file.
